A look at the modern-day street view of the corner of Girod and Tchoupitoulas streets in New Orleans, as seen in this December 1948 photo we came across on the Historic New Orleans Collection confirms that the Gulf service station on the far left of the image had use of the unwalled portion of the ground floor of the two-story building, which seems to us an unusual setup. Looks like the station saw decent enough business, though. What do you see here?

My Uncle had a 48 Plymouth that looked like the one on the drive at the Gulf station with the brake/tail light in the center of the trunk lid. The car visible across the street just over the right fender of the Plymouth on the drive looks like a Buick,

On the right, three Mopars, then a Silver Streak Pontiac. I can see the little chevron trims that marked a 1940 DeSoto on the car partly hidden by the Plymouth in the gas station. That Merc coupe is certainly shinier than the ’46 coupe I bought from an old farmer in Corvallis, Oregon in 1962.

I see that all the license plates are 1948’s – no shiny aluminum 1949’s yet.

The hydrant was probably already old in 1948, it could be approaching 100 yrs old. I wonder how it made out during Katrina. I see that the supports for the Gulf gas sign are still on the building as well. Maybe the price of scrap has to go higher to bother removing them.

Back when bumpers were actually made for bumping. How they ever parallel-parked those non-power-steering-cars so closely, is beyond me. I never would have guessed that this was New Orleans from this view.

Hi Scotty, I thought that too, however, my ’50 Packard was non-power steering, and it was remarkably easy to steer. Not as easy as power, of course, but I read, Packard re-engineered the steering geometry, to address the problem.

My first car in 1961 was a ’49 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe. I don’t remember any trouble parking it or the ’51 Starlight Coupe I had a few years later in the crowded streets of San Francisco. Both were sticks, too, with the hill holders which were especially useful in S.F.!

They must have had a good Plymouth dealer in town. The P15 in the gas station could be either a ’46-47-48 model with another P15 series at the lead of the three Plymouths on the right side of the photo. The middle Plymouth is a 1940 and its a ’41 Plymouth parked behind the ’40. Looks like the Plymouth in the gas station has a dent in the trunk lid. The car with the chevrons behind the Plymouth in the gas station is a GM product, not a DeSoto.

You can see the front end of a 1940 Pontiac ( 3 pieces of chrome on the side hood) directly under the Gulf sign in front of the Plymouth in the station. If those are round tail lights on the Pontiac on the right CrownCoupe64 is correct in that it is a ’48.

Well, from the “GULF” sign now I know how orange and blue show up in B&W photos. I never really thought about Gulf gas being from the gulf a Wiki search verifies the name is from the Gulf of Mexico, the companies early oil wells being in Texas. Headquarters was in PA due to investment by the Mellons, but the oil was from the gulf.

I think the 1948 photo address is wrong. I know the factory building looks the same. That style of factory is a dime a dozen in Philadelphia. I’m thinking that could be true in New Orleans too.

The old building across from the Gulf station now has four floors and the brick architecture is clearly old overall. In 1948 it only has three floors plus a post similar to the Gulf.

The brackets some think held the Gulf sign in the new photo are very different from 1948. The brackets are too low now and the cable is attached to the bricks in 1948 but to a metal post now. (yeah I know, the sign changed out over the years).

I know the fire hydrant is similar but are also a dime a dozen and located on street corners near driveways.

The cross street in 1948 looks far narrower than the wide boulevard we see today. This is imposable if the buildings are supposedly in the same place.

Upon further photo comparing, the broken curbing, behind the Plymouth on the sidewalk, was never repaired. In the new photo it looks the same. I’ll just have to figure the put a forth floor on the building across the street.

You know THG I dont have a clue! New Orleans was governed by just about everybody from Europe at one time or another. My guess would be a Native word or name. But most were mispronounced and misspelled over time. Im gonna do some research on that one.

I see a Buick over the hood of the Plymouth and my Uncle from West Palm Beach had one like that. As late as the seventies and early eighties, he would drive it on the interstate all the way to Atlanta. I dont get the Plymouth popularity in NOLA. I had one when I was about 20 years old and it would never crank after a rain. Do you realize how much it rains in NOLA? When my family sold the home in West Palm Beach they forgot about the Buick in the garage. Its out there somewhere and I dont believe whoever wound up with it has a clear title. Maybe I should start looking!